BurmaNet News, October 11-14, 2008

[Editor]

October 11-14, 2008 Issue # 3576


INSIDE BURMA
Irrawaddy: Burmese cyclone survivors fear food aid to "dry up" soon
Irrawaddy: Lawyers, families complain as trials begin of 37
Mizzima News: Eight opposition youth arrested
AP: Lawyer appeals for freedom of Myanmar's Suu Kyi
DVB: Seven killed in explosion on Rangoon bus
DVB: Inflation cuts printing of low-value notes
Narinjara: ALD holds 20th anniversary in Rangoon

ON THE BORDER
The Hindu (India): India for expanding border trade with Myanmar

BUSINESS / TRADE
Irrawaddy: Rice prices rise in Rangoon markets
AP: Burma's garment industry to suffer with global financial crisis
Mizzima News: Thailand, Singapore further energy investments in Burma
KNG: Commander grants logging permits to Kachin ceasefire groups
KNG: Copier machine owners forced to donate money in Kachin State

HEALTH
AFP: Myanmar removes tainted milk products from shelves

INTERNATIONAL
Mizzima News: Britain pledges to do all it can for Burma

OPINION / OTHER
Irrawaddy: The intricacies of Ban’s role in Burma – Nehginpao Kipgen
Mizzima News: More trade points on Indo-Burma border; Is it beneficial? –
Mungpi
IPS: New constitution - radical change or fig leaf? – John Feffer

____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

October 13, Irrawaddy
Burmese cyclone survivors fear food aid to "dry up" soon - Saw Yan Naing

Cyclone survivors in Laputta Township in the Irrawaddy delta are
struggling with a recent reduction in food distributed by the World Food
Programme (WFP) and are worried that international food aid will soon dry
up altogether, according to sources in Laputta.

Some sources in the area said that the WFP will stop delivering food by
the end of October, as relief efforts shift to reconstruction projects in
the cyclone-affected region.

Aye Kyu, a resident of Laputta, said that many cyclone survivors are
turning to other local people to supplement their meagre supply of food,
while some are making ends meet by catching fish and crabs and growing
vegetables. They are all worried about what will happen if the WFP stops
distributing staple foods such as rice, oil and beans, he said.

"If the WFP stop its food distribution, cyclone survivors will definitely
be in trouble," said Aye Kyu.

He also said that cyclone survivors are now facing difficulty in finding
drinking water, as there has been no rain for the past ten days. As
Burma's rainy season comes to a close in the coming weeks, the lack of
drinkable water is likely to become an even more severe problem.

Paul Risley, a spokesperson for the WFP, confirmed that his organization
has reduced its distribution of food, but was unable to verify reports
that it was planning to stop providing food relief at the end of October.

"I don't have any specific information on that right now," said Risely.
"At present, we are continuing distribution."

Meanwhile, another resident of Laputta said that local donors - another
important source of aid - have stopped visiting refugees living on the
outskirts of town because of restrictions imposed by the Burmese
authorities.

"The authorities ask every visitor to report about their visit," she said.
"They check every visitor."

A relief worker in Bogalay Township also reported that the WFP is reducing
food deliveries to cyclone survivors in the area, as local authorities
oversee a shift to reconstruction work.

He added that residents of Shwe Pyi Aye, a village in Bogalay, are now
being forced by the authorities to work on reconstruction projects every
day. He claimed that people who refuse to work are fined 2,000 kyat (US
$1.70).

Laputta and Bogalay were among the areas most severely affected by Cyclone
Nargis when it struck on May 2-3. According to official Burmese estimates,
the cyclone left around 140,000 people dead or missing.

____________________________________

October 14, Irrawaddy
Lawyers, families complain as trials begin of 37 activists – Saw Yan Naing

The trials began in Rangoon on Monday of 37 political activists charged
with a series of offences, including threatening the stability of the
government.

The one-day appearances were closed to the general public, including the
families of the accused, who protested against their exclusion.

The accused include several leaders of the 88 Generation Students
movement, including Min Ko Naing. His trial was adjourned until October
27.

The accused face seven charges, including a provision of the criminal code
covering crimes judged to threaten the stability of the government.

The trials are taking place in three locations—Insein Prison and court
premises in Hlaing Tharyar Township and Kamaryut Township.

The accused also include Nilar Thein, a woman activist, and a prominent
activist monk, Ashin Gambira, who were among the leaders of the September
2007 demonstrations, Htun Htun Oo, Maung Maung Latt, Aung Kyaw Moe, Si Thu
Maung and Tar Tar Thet.

Gambira is charged with nine separate criminal offenses, including
infringements of State Offence Act 505 A and B, Immigration Act 13/1,
Illegal Organization Act 17/1, Electronic Act 303 A and Organization Act
6.

Gambira’s lawyer, Aung Thein, resigned his brief on October 1, complaining
that he was not being allowed to prepare a proper defense

Another defense lawyer, Khin Maung Shein, said he would also resign his
brief after the court refused to allow him to ask questions on behalf of
his clients.

Both were asked by their clients to withdraw. “If we are asked by our
clients to resign, then we have to [follow their instructions],” Khin
Maung Shein said. “They asked us to resign not because they are not
satisfied with our efforts but because they don’t want to cooperate with
the courts’ schedule any longer.”

Meanwhile, detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s lawyer, Kyi Win,
said no reply had yet been received to the legal appeal against her
continuing house arrest, which had been handed in at Naypyidaw on October
8.

Suu Kyi’s latest five-year term of house arrest was extended in May for a
further year—illegally, according to Kyi Win, because article 10 (b) of
the Burmese State Protection Law 1975 stipulates that a person judged to
be a “threat to the sovereignty and security of the State and the peace of
the people” can only be detained for up to five years.

Suu Kyi has spent more than 13 years of the past 19 years confined to her
Rangoon home.

____________________________________

October 13, Mizzima News
Eight opposition youth arrested – Than Htike Oo

Burma’s ruling junta, continuing its detention of opposition activists,
has arrested eight youth for their alleged involvement in the
dissemination of politically sensitive tracts.

Four members of Generation Wave and four other youth were arrested on the
9th and 10th of October for their believed to be connection with the
distribution of anti-government pamphlets.

"They were arrested at 4 p.m. after distributing pamphlets. It seems they
were followed by someone after distributing the pamphlets and were all
later arrested from one of their houses," said Moe Thway of Generation
Wave.

Seven youth were arrested from a house in South Okkalapa Township on the
9th of October and another was arrested the following day, based on
statements given during interrogation.

Moe Thway said the pamphlets, bearing the Generation Wave logo,
incorporate the words, '2008: The end of dictatorship.'

The whereabouts of arrested Generation Wave members Khaing Mon (also know
as Nyein Chan), Ye Thu Ko (also knows as Nyi Nyi), Zin Min Aung and Aung
Paing are still not known.

However, the four others – as of yet unidentified – are being held at the
South Okkalapa Police Station.

Following last year's monk-led protests, known as the Saffron Revolution,
several youth began forming clandestine activist groups, a movement which
has slowly gained in momentum.

In one of the distributed pamphlets, Generation Wave urges people to
topple the military regime through a mass movement like the 2007 protests.

____________________________________

October 10, Associated Press
Lawyer appeals for freedom of Myanmar's Suu Kyi

A lawyer for Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi said Friday that
he has filed an appeal with the country's military government against her
detention.

Kyi Win said the appeal, delivered Wednesday by his assistant, was based
on nine grounds including the fact that "she was never a threat to the
security of the state."

Nobel Peace laureate Suu Kyi has been detained continuously since May
2003. There is a worldwide campaign urging her release.

The 1975 anti-subversion law under which she has been confined without
trial says detentions of up to five years at a time are permissible for
those who could be a threat to public order.

Her house arrest was extended by one year in May this year, an apparent
violation of a law that stipulates that no one can be held longer than
five years without being released or put on trial.

But a commentary in June in the state-owned New Light of Myanmar
newspaper, which closely reflects government opinion, said detentions are
permissible for as long as six years.

Asked if there is any indication if or when the government will hear the
appeal at a court, Kyi Win said, "we still don't know, but we have to be
hopeful."

Suu Kyi, who has been detained for more than 12 of the past 19 years, has
been allowed to meet Kyi Win at her lakeside house since August to draft
the appeal and the lawyer said he plans to meet her once again this month
for further discussions.

Myanmar has been under military rule since 1962. The current junta came to
power in 1988 after crushing a nationwide pro-democracy uprising. It held
elections in 1990 but refused to honor the results after Suu Kyi's party
won a landslide victory.

____________________________________

October 13, Democratic Voice of Burma
Seven killed in explosion on Rangoon bus – Aye Nai

Seven people were killed and one injured in an explosion on a passenger
bus in front of Rangoon Technological University in the early hours of
this morning, according to Insein township police.

An officer on duty at Insein police station the explosion occurred at
around 2.30am.

"The [compressed natural] gas tank exploded in a small Hilux passenger
pick-up truck running between Tike Gyi and Rangoon," he said.

"Only seven people died while one passenger was injured."

An official from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation,
which has an office near the site of the explosion, said the debris was
quickly cleared away.

"The gas tank of a passenger pick-up truck running between Rangoon and
Tike Gyi exploded while the bus was travelling to Kyi Myint Taing township
vegetable market at around 2.30am this morning," the official said.

"By the time we got in to our office, nothing from the explosion was left
there as authorities have already cleared it up."

____________________________________

October 14, Democratic Voice of Burma
Inflation cuts printing of low-value notes – Nan Kham Kaew

The shortage of low-denomination banknotes is causing inconvenience to
businesses and consumers of low-priced goods, according to residents of
Rangoon, Mandalay and Meikhtila.

Shop owners have been giving goods instead of change to customers who buy
low-priced items, shoppers said.

"Shops don't even have 200 kyat notes now so it's a headache whenever you
buy goods that are worth like 300 kyat and you only have a 500 note – they
will give you candies for change," one consumer said.

"Tea shops will give you a cigarette instead of a 50 kyat note and some
shops will give you a bag of instant coffee mix," he said.

"So we have to buy 500 kyat worth of goods every time we go shopping."

Some people said the low denomination notes that are still in circulation
were printed a long time ago and some have become almost unusable.

"You will see stitches or tape on the banknotes as they have often been
torn into two pieces after being passed from hand to hand for such a long
time," one shopper said.

"It's because [the government] is only printing the high denomination
notes – they stopped printing lower denominations such as 200, 100, 50, 20
and 10 as they aren't really worth anything now."

Economist Sein Htay said printing more bank notes could exacerbate the
problem of inflation.

"If the government prints more bank notes while inflation is high, that
increases the supply of money which increases inflation even more."

____________________________________

October 14, Narinjara News
ALD holds 20th anniversary in Rangoon

The 20th anniversary of the founding of the Arakan League for Democracy
was commemorated by party members in Rangoon on Monday. Many prominent
political leaders attended the ceremony.

"We held the ceremony at ALD general secretary U Aye Tha Aung's house. A
dinner party and a get-together with politicians were hosted," a party
member said.

U Win Tin, who was recently released from prison after 19 years, and Dr.
Aye Myint attended the anniversary ceremony.

An ALD source said the politicians discussed many political issues related
to matters both inside and outside Burma.

U Aye Tha Aung delivered a speech at the ceremony about the ALD making the
long journey for democracy in Burma, and he vowed to continue fighting for
democracy, the party member said.

The ALD is one of the winning parties in the 1990 elections in Arakan
State and cornered 11 parliamentary seats in Arakan. The military
government abolished the ALD after the party refused to accept the
military government's declaration (1/90) in 1990.

Despite this, the party has been carrying out its activities and
cooperating with the National League for Democracy. The ALD is a member of
the Committee Representing the People's Parliament, and U Aye Tha Aung is
the general secretary of the CRPP.

____________________________________
ON THE BORDER

October 13, The Hindu (India)
India for expanding border trade with Myanmar – Sujay Mehdudia

India will seek to expand border trade by opening more trading points
along the 1,600-km border its shares with Myanmar during the two-day talks
to be held at Mandalay beginning October 14. Minister of State for
Commerce and Power Jairam Ramesh will lead a high-level delegation to
Myanmar during the crucial talks.

At present, only Moreh in Manipur is the only operational trade centre on
the border. India will propose two additional such centres — Avangkhu in
Nagaland and Zowkhathar in Mizoram. Mr. Jairam said border trade centres
in Arunachal Pradesh were not under discussion because of security and
other considerations on the Indian side.

In addition, he said India would propose an expansion of items to be
traded. India is also expected to reiterate its offer to include Myanmar
in the duty free tariff preference scheme announced by it for Least
Developed Countries . The details of the financing mechanism to facilitate
expanded bilateral trade will be also be firmed up during the Mandalay
talks. Union Bank of India has already signed an agreement with the
Foreign Trade Bank of Myanmar for establishing such a mechanism.

FTA beneficiary

Myanmar will be the beneficiary of the FTA with the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations to be signed by India and ASEAN in Bangkok on
December 18. Myanmar is also a member of BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative
for Multisectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) Agreement involving
Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand.

India is hosting the BIMSTEC Summit in New Delhi in mid-November. India’s
exports to Myanmar in 2007-08 amounted to about $185 million, while its
imports from Myanmar were valued at around $810 million, mostly comprising
pulses.

On October 16, the Myanmar Prime Minister and Mr. Jairam will inaugurate a
Centre for Enhancement of IT Skills established at Yangon with Indian
assistance of $2 million. This Centre, to be run by Indian professionals,
is equipped to train 1,000 youth every year who will be awarded a diploma
from the Pune-based C-DAC (Centre for the Development of Advanced
Computing) which is an institution under the Ministry of Information
Technology.

____________________________________
BUSINESS / TRADE

October 14, Irrawaddy
Rice prices rise in Rangoon markets – Kyi Way

The price of low quality rice has increased around 4,000 kyat (US $2.50) a
bag in local markets here because of low rice productivity following
Cyclone Nargis and the exporting of rice, say local dealers.

Only about one-third of the normal rice stock was coming into the market
in the last week of September and the first week of October, dealers said.

Before the export crunch, low quality aemata rice, also known as 25
percent of “broken rice,” was priced around 14,000 kyat ($1.60) per bag.
It has risen to about 18,000 kyat now, about a 20 percent increase.

High quality hard rice price has risen from 16,000 kyat to 22,000 kyat per
bag, while there is no low quality rice in some vendor’s stock.

Price of low quality pawsanmhwe rice has increased from 15,000 to 20,000
kyat per bag; middle quality from 22,000 to 25,000 kyat per bag and
special high quality from 32,000 to 35,000 kyat per bag.

"Dealers who bought the rice for export have caused less rice to come to
market,” said a rice vendor. "In the last days of September, the
government has given the purchasing and selling permits to rice export
firms."

In Rangoon, rice from Pegu Division and Irrawaddy Division are the most in
demand.

According to an official at the Myanmar Rice Producers Association, aemata
rice was exported to Bangladesh and China in September.

According to the official figure, about 20 percent of the rice agriculture
sector in the delta was damaged following Nargis. Important rice growing
areas such as Phyapone, Bogalay, Laputta and Myaungmya in Irrawaddy
Division and Kawmhu and Kwanchangone townships in Rangoon Division were
seriously damaged by the cyclone. The areas were inundated by saltwater
and efforts to plant seed generally failed to produce sprouts.

About 17 million acres were planted during this monsoon season which will
produce an estimated 16 million tons of rice harvest; about 2.5 million
tons is scheduled to be exported, according to Gen Htay Oo, the minister
of agriculture.

However, about 400,000 tons of rice was exported in 2007.

Rice can be exported from only three regions—Irrawaddy, Pegu and Sagaing
divisions.

____________________________________

October 14, Associated Press
Burma's garment industry to suffer with global financial crisis

Burma's vital garment industry could suffer factory closures and layoffs
because orders are sharply down due to the continuing global financial
crisis, an industry executive has said.

"Since the financial crisis, orders for new consignments have reduced, and
we will see serious impact by the middle of December," Myint Soe, the
chairman of the Myanmar Garment Manufacturers Association, told reporters
Monday.

The success of the country's apparel industry is largely tied to global
demand, so the fall in orders could lead to workers being dismissed and
the closure of some production facilities, Myint Soe said.

Burma's textile industry experienced a downturn after the United States
imposed economic sanctions in 2003, but rebounded two years later when the
European Union imposed limits on imports from China, Myint Soe said. Those
restrictions led to increased European textiles orders for Southeast Asian
nations, including Burma, he said.

About 30 percent of Burma's garment exports go to Japan, another 30
percent to the EU and the rest to Latin America, Turkey, South Africa,
Mexico and Argentina, Myint Soe said.

He said the industry suffered a setback early this year when South
Africa's biggest clothing retailer canceled orders, citing a military
crackdown on massive anti-government protests in September last year.

That ban led to the closure of about 35 factories in Burma, he said. About
100 garment factories remain, employing between 80,000 to 100,000 workers,
compared to more than 270 factories before 2003, he said.

According to official statistics, Burma earns US $282 million from garment
exports in the 2007-2008 fiscal year.

____________________________________

October 13, Mizzima News
Thailand, Singapore further energy investments in Burma

Thailand and Singapore have upped the stakes in the quest to secure access
to Burma's lucrative energy market, agreeing to a further investment into
hydropower production with the ruling junta last Thursday.

According to yesterday's New Light of Myanmar, Burmese officials, on
October 9, inked the latest memorandum of understanding (MoU) on
hydropower projects with the Thai-based Italian-Thai Development Public
Co. Ltd and the Singapore-based Windfall Energy Services Ltd of the
British Virgin Islands.

The MoU, for a reported 600 megawatt hydropower project, is but the latest
in a series of investments in Burma's hydropower market, as regional
actors race to secure resources to meet burgeoning domestic energy needs.

The hydropower plant, to be located in Burma's southern Tanintharyi
Division, will reportedly produce over 35 billion kwh annually.

Just last month, India invested in two similarly scaled projects, while
Burma's second in-charge, Vice-Senior General Maung Aye, discussed the
prospects of additional hydropower plants with Bangladesh counterparts in
Dhaka last week.

China and South Korea, in addition to Thailand, India, Singapore and
Bangladesh, have also been actively engaged in Burma's hydropower market
over recent years.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) in Burma, said by the United States
Department of State to be just under 15 billion dollars as of the close
November 2007, is dominated in dollar terms by hydropower projects.

Hydropower projects represent 43 percent of FDI in Burma as of 2008, and
account for twice as much as the oil and gas sector and six times the
figure for hotels and tourism.

Thailand is far and away the biggest supplier of FDI to Burma, accounting
for half the total. Britain, for whom the Department of State includes
British territories such as the British Virgin Islands, is listed as the
second biggest source of FDI to the cash-strapped Southeast Asian country,
providing an infusion of some 1.9 billion dollars.

FDI in Burma is now at the highest level it has achieved since 1988.

____________________________________

October 13, Kachin News Group
Commander grants logging permits to Kachin ceasefire groups

Maj-Gen Soe Win Burmese junta's Northern Region Military Command commander
has officially given 'logging permits' to all ethnic Kachin ceasefire
groups in Kachin State. It is an unusual gesture which former commanders
had never done, said local sources.

The permission allows logging officially in Kachin State. The decision was
announced at a meeting in the City Hall in the capital Myitkyina on
September 20 between Commander Maj-Gen Soe Win and the three Kachin
ceasefire group's representatives – the Kachin Independence Organization
(KIO), the New Democratic Army-Kachin (NDA-K) and the Lasang Awng Wa
Ceasefire Group, the groups' sources said.

The meeting was attended by NDA-K leader Zahkung Ting Ying, Lasang Awng Wa
Ceasefire Group leader Lasang Awng Wa and unidentified KIO officials, an
eyewitness said.

While every former Northern Command commander before Soe Win was directly
connected to and profited from the logging business, they did not
officially grant logging permits, said local timber traders.

With two years to go before the 2010 elections in the country, permission
to log has been given to the KIO, NDA-K and Lasang Awng Ceasefire Group.
The groups' had ordered people in their controlled areas to support and
cast 'Yes votes' in the May Referendum on the junta's draft constitution
in keeping with the regime's seven-step roadmap to so-called
disciplined-democracy.

Meanwhile, timber businessmen affiliated to each Kachin ceasefire groups
are happy with the Commander's permission. They are now starting to
identify Chinese timber buyers from China's southwest Yunnan province,
said local timber traders in Myitkyina.

The two main Burman-own giant companies like Htoo Trading Co., Ltd. owned
by Teza and Yuzana Company chaired by U Htay Myint are permitted to export
teak and hardwood from Kachin State to foreign countries by the junta,
said local business sources.

On the flip side, China has officially stopped importing timber from
northern Burma since late 2005. However its border timber imports have not
completely stopped rather the import of illegal timber has increased,
according to border timber trade sources.
As a result, deforestation in Kachin State continues unabated and has
affected the entire Kachin State because timber is the primary source of
income of not only local Burmese Army bases but ethnic Kachin ceasefire
groups, said local people.

During the meeting, Commander Soe Win, former principal of the junta's
Official Training School (OTS) based in Pyin Oo Lwin, also called Maymyo
granted logging permission. However he also promised that he will
completely eradicate drugs in the state, participants told KNG.

____________________________________

October 11, Kachin News Group
Copier machine owners forced to donate money in Kachin State

The Burmese military junta has forcibly collected funds from all owners of
copier machines in Myitkyina Township, capital of Burma's northern Kachin
State. The money was ostensibly collected to support the staff members of
the "Burma Press Scrutiny and Registration Board", said sources close to
copier machine owners in the township.

A local copier machine owner told KNG today over telephone that personnel
at the Township Government Information Center under instructions from the
Township Peace and Development Council also called Township Administrative
Office (Ma-Ya-Ka) had forcibly collected 5,000 Kyat or 10,000 Kyat (est.
US $4 or $8) per shop depending on the size of copiers and offset printing
machines.

"The fund was forcibly collected from each owner of copier and offset
printing machines in the township by personnel of the Township Government
Information Center. As a confirmation of the donation, I was forcibly made
to sign on an A-4 size sheet of paper where the name of my shop was listed
along with the names of other shops," he added.

The A-4 size sheet had the names of all the shops, where small and large
shops were divided into categories because the money collected varied from
shop to shop, according to the local copier machines' owners.

The order to collect the fund throughout the country came from the ruling
junta in Naypyidaw, the capital. The order was released in August, said
Township Information Center sources.

The fund is not only being collected in Kachin State but in the whole
country, added owners of copiers in Myitkyina.

Despite the fund being collected in the name of supporting the staff of
the Naypyidaw-based "Burma Press Scrutiny and Registration Board" in the
country, it is actually meant for honouring and awarding ministers in
government ministries in Naypyidaw, according to sources close to the
Township Information Center.

There are over 60 small and large copiers and offset printing machines in
Myitkyina Township alone and it is unusual that the fund was forcibly
collected from all owners of copier machines for awarding the junta's
ministers in Naypyidaw, said owners of copiers in Myitkyina.

____________________________________
HEALTH

October 14, Agence France Presse
Myanmar removes tainted milk products from shelves

Myanmar authorities said Tuesday they had removed seven imported dairy
products from store shelves -- one of them from China -- after they were
found to contain traces of melamine.

An official statement in the state press did not specify where all of the
products had been made but at least one came from China, where four
children have died and at least 53,000 fell ill from melamine-tainted milk
products.

The announcement came just days after nine Chinese products were banned
from Myanmar store shelves.

"Importation, processing, distribution and using... milk powder
contaminated with melamine that is unfit for human consumption are hereby
prohibited," the statement in the New Light of Myanmar newspaper said.

The health and industry ministries will continue to test all imported
dairy products for traces of the industrial chemical, it said.

Myanmar's food and drug watchdog had already destroyed 16 tonnes of
imported Chinese baby formula, and authorities had urged people not use
Chinese milk and dairy products because of the widespread tainted milk
scandal.

Vietnam has complained to Indonesia of possible melamine contamination in
Indonesian-made biscuits, a report said Tuesday.

Vietnamese authorities informed Indonesia's embassy in Hanoi that
Indonesian-made Khong Guan biscuits could be tainted with the chemical,
Trade Ministry Director Subagyo was quoted as saying by the Antara news
agency.

Indonesia's food and drug monitoring agency has been ordered to probe the
issue, Subagyo said.

"Based on the results of our own tests the product is not contaminated
with melamine," food and drug agency chairman Husniah Rubiana Thamrin Akib
was quoted as saying.

Khong Guan biscuits had already been tested in Indonesian and Vietnamese
laboratories and had come up negative for melamine, usually used in making
plastics, she said.

"Our products are safe because we import milk from Europe, Australia and
New Zealand," Akib said.

Indonesia ordered food producers to avoid using Chinese-made milk products
in September after four Chinese children died and at least 53,000 fell ill
from drinking milk or milk products laced with melamine.

Some manufacturers had been using the chemical to make watered-down milk
appear to have a higher protein content.

An array of China-made foods and drinks have been removed from store
shelves around the world since the contamination first came to light last
month.

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

October 13, Mizzima News
Britain pledges to do all it can for Burma - Mungpi & Solomon

The British government has pledged it will do all it can to help usher in
democracy in Burma. This was in response to an online petition submitted
by campaigners in United Kingdom.

The British government's response to the petition, which is posted on the
Prime Minister's website (www.number10.gov.uk/Page17117), said the
political situation in Burma has continued to be a priority for the
Government and the Prime Minister personally over the last 12 months. It
pledged that it will do all it can to help the people of Burma.

"The Government will continue to do all it can to help the people of Burma
achieve the peaceful, prosperous and democratic future they deserve," the
response said.

The Government was responding to an online petition launched by the Burma
Campaign UK in the wake of the brutal suppression of peaceful protesters
in September 2007 by Burma's military rulers.

The response, posted on October 9, also extended the Government's concern
over the Burmese peoples' plight, who not only endure continued oppression
at the hands of the military regime, but also faced the devastating impact
of Cyclone Nargis, which lashed the country in May, killing tens of
thousands and devastated more than 2.4 million lives.

The online petition signed by more than 5,000 people congratulated the
British Government for continuously supporting the Burmese democracy
movement but urged Prime Minister Gordon Brown to personally engage world
leaders on the issue of Burma and set a time frame and benchmarks for
change.

"We call on the Prime Minister to set benchmarks and timelines for change
in Burma, after which, if no progress has been made, steps will be taken
to increase political and economic pressure on the regime," the petition
said.
Meanwhile, a Burmese human rights activist, Zoya Phan, on Monday
highlighted the sufferings of Burmese people under the repressive rule
during her talk at the 12th annual Forum 2000 Conference being held in
Prague, in the Czech Republic.

Zoya Phan, International Coordinator of the BCUK, who is attending the
conference being held from October 12 to 14, said she was able to make a
great number of people aware on the situation in Burma.

"A lot of people don't know about Burma, after my speech they came to me
and asked about the country," Phan said.

Phan is on a lobbying trip to the Czech Republic and is one of the
speakers at the conference which is being attended by senior politicians
from all over the world, including former Presidents, Prime Ministers, and
opposition leaders from Russia, Zimbabwe and other countries with terrible
human rights records.

"Still most people in European countries don't know what is going on there
[in Burma] and governments are still doing business with the regime, while
they are not giving enough humanitarian assistance [to the Burmese
people],"Mark Farmaner, Director of the BCUK said.

Zoya Phan is the daughter of the deceased Pado Mahn Shar La Phan, leader
of ethnic Karen rebels, Karen National Union, and is currently residing in
UK, where she is actively involved in campaigning and lobbying on the
issue of Burma.

____________________________________
OPINION/OTHER

October 14, Irrawaddy
The intricacies of Ban’s role in Burma – Nehginpao Kipgen

Earlier this year I authored an analytical article entitled “Don’t Blame
Gambari” in reference to how Ibrahim Gambari’s unyielding mission to Burma
had been largely perceived.

The article discussed how the UN special advisor was assigned a critical
diplomatic task without an enforcement power from the UN Security Council.
His latest visit in August was decried by the Burmese opposition as abject
failure. The National League for Democracy (NLD) called it a “waste of
time.”

With the UN special advisor’s diplomatic efforts seemingly waning, voices
of concern and frustration have overwhelmed the good offices of
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

One advantage the secretary-general might have over his special advisor,
who is a Nigerian diplomat, is that Ban was a South Korean career diplomat
who may be better versed in dealing with Asians.

When Ban became the first Asian to hold the secretary-general’s post after
U Thant of Burma, there was high expectation for some sort of solution to
Burma’s political problems.

Unambiguously, the office of the UN secretary-general has embarked on a
number of unprecedented initiatives in attempts to effect change in Burma.
One most notable aspect of Ban’s involvement is the formation of the
“Group of Friends of the Secretary-General on Myanmar [Burma].”

In the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis, the UN secretary-general made a
humanitarian visit to Burma. Although not expressed explicitly, Ban could
have sensed the xenophobic nature of the isolated military leaders. This
was the last meeting between Snr-Gen Than Shwe and the UN leadership.

Last month, Ban convened a “high-level” meeting of the Group of Friends.
The Security Council reported: “The members of the Group expressed
continued support for the Secretary-General's Good Offices and encouraged
Myanmar to use this channel to address key issues of concern to the
international community.”

Burma activists and analysts alike are divided on whether Ban Ki-moon
should make a second visit to Burma. Proponents are of the view that his
visit may boost the democratization process; whereas other analysts are
skeptical of the probability of any democratic change without the Security
Council’s mandate.

While the majority of political pundits may agree on the necessity and
vitality of the UN’s continued engagement in Burma, opinions are
noticeably differing on approaches and existing applied strategies.

In his October 7 press briefing, Ban told reporters in New York that "
you
should also know that without any tangible or very favorable results to be
achieved, then I may not be in a position to visit Myanmar.” The NLD was
quick to welcome the statement.

It is very unlikely, at least for now, that the military that proceeded
with a referendum to adopt a new constitution in the midst of Cyclone
Nargis will swerve or scuttle the proposed seven-step “road map” before
the 2010 election.

The State Peace and Development Council understands the ineffectiveness of
the United Nations’ engagement in the absence of Security Council’s
mandate. The recent strained relations between Western countries and
Russia might have also widened the gap of cooperation within the Security
Council.

The good offices of the secretary-general have given it a shot—but with no
bullets. If no change is happening from within Burma, the international
community might have to wait a day for the Security Council veto system to
change, or a surprise move by China and Russia to side with the three
other permanent members or abstain from voting.

At this juncture, even if Ban chooses to visit Burma, not much should be
expected out of it. However, the UN’s continued engagement is very
essential.

Nehginpao Kipgen is the general secretary of US-based Kuki International
Forum and a researcher on the rise of political conflicts in modern Burma
(1947-2004).

____________________________________

October 14, Mizzima News
More trade points on Indo-Burma border; Is it beneficial? – Mungpi

Attempting to boost bilateral trade, India will seek the opening of two
more trade centres along the porous Indo-Burma, when Jairam Ramesh,
Minister of State for Commerce and Power visits Burma for two-day,
(October 14 to 15), talks with junta officials in the Southeast Asian
country's second largest city, Mandalay.

According to a press statement from the Indian Ministry of Commerce &
Industry, Ramesh, who will lead an official delegation for trade and
investment, will raise the "Indian desire" to expand border trade with
Burma by opening two more trade points along the 1,600-kilometre porous
border the two countries share.

With only one trade point in Moreh town in Manipur state currently
operational along the border, India will propose two additional centres in
"Avangkhu in Nagaland and Zowkhathar in Mizoram, which happens to be a
long-standing demand of these two states," the statement said.

Ramesh, who will be visiting Burma for the third time this year, will also
propose the expansion of the number of items to be traded, which currently
stands at 22, in view of moving towards free trade in these centres.

India and Burma in recent years have maintained regular high-level visits
to discuss bilateral relationship. Observers view Ramesh's visit, which
will begin on Tuesday, as another trip to appease the military generals
that have ruled the country since 1962.

"This trip is a part of the two countries [India and Burma] strategy to
boost bilateral relationship," said Dr. Tint Swe, a minister of the
Burmese government – National coalition Government of Union of Burma, in
exile.

Ramesh will also reiterate India's offer to include Burma in the duty free
tariff preference scheme, which India has announced for Least Developed
Countries (LDCs), the statement said.

Following the talks in Mandalay, Ramesh and the Burmese Prime Minister
Lt-Gen Thein Sein on October 16, will inaugurate a Centre for Enhancement
of IT Skills set up in Rangoon with Indian assistance of $ 2 million.

The Centre will be run by Indian professionals and will train 1000 youths
every year and students will be initially awarded with a diploma
certificate of the Pune-based Centre for the Development of Advanced
Computing (C-DAC), which is an institution under the Ministry of
Information Technology.

Look-East Policy

Dr. Tint Swe, who is based in New Delhi and who has been vociferous in his
criticism of India's 'Look East' policy, said the proposal for the two
trade points are in line with India's look east policy, which according to
him has failed.

"India, while it wants to appease the Burmese junta, also seeks to tell
the people of the Northeast that it is implementing development projects
for them," Dr. Tint Swe said.

He said, for more than a decade, the look east policy has not brought any
sustainable development to the people of Northeast India as well as the
Burmese people on the other side of the border.

"India is miscalculating and should realise that the look east policy is
failing after more than a decade of experience," he added.

Under the look east policy of India, first introduced in the early 1990s,
India began to cosy up to Burma's military rulers by building roads,
opening border trade, providing financial loans, giving technological
assistance and even by supplying military hardware.

According to analysts, India has been vigorously pushing for a warmer
bilateral relationship to counter the growing Chinese influence on Burma,
and to tame its growing insurgency in its Northeastern states, who use
Burmese soil as a safe haven to fight the central government.

But Dr. Tint Swe said despite India's efforts, Burma's military rulers are
playing their own game and are using India to show the world that it has
the support of the largest democracy.

"India cannot achieve the objectives that it hopes through its look east
policy," Dr. Tint Swe said.

Northeast connection

Meanwhile, a student body in India's north eastern states said the Indian
government's plan to propose two more trade points along the border with
Burma will provide no significant benefits to the people of the region but
will be applauded by a few businessmen.

Muanpuia, Vice Chairman of the North East Students Organisation (NESO), an
apex student body of northeast India, said, "The look east policy of India
overlooks the interest of the people of the Northeast."

"The benefits of the two trade points will directly go to the military
junta of Burma and to the Indian government," said Muanpuia, adding that
the Centre is just trying to appease the people of northeastern states by
opening the trade centres while it seeks to gain the support of the
Burmese generals.

"India first of all should not deal with the Burmese military junta, and
it should stop claiming that it is helping the northeastern states to
develop," Muanpuia added.

Instead, he said, India should review the 'Look East' policy as it does
not bring any benefits to the people of the Northeast while the junta in
Burma is claiming that it is being supported by the world's largest
democracy to continue its rule.

NSN Lotha, advisor of the NESO, said the trade centres, if opened, will
not provide substantial benefits to the people of Northeast but will be a
vantage point for India to bargain with the Burmese military government
for closer cooperation.

India in the past two decades has tried in several ways to appease the
Burmese military government. According to the Ministry of Commerce &
Industry, India's exports to Burma for the fiscal year 2007-08 accounted
for about $ 185 million, while its imports from Burma is valued at around
$ 810 million, comprising mostly of pulses. Burma thus enjoys a
substantial trade surplus with India.

However, despite targeting a US $ 1 billion trade in 2006-07, it fell
short with a trade volume of only at US $ 650 million. However,
Indo-Burmese bilateral trade has been increasing with the trade amount
reaching US $ 557.68 million in 2005-06, which is 25 per cent up from the
previous year, 2004-05, when it stood at US $ 341.40 million.

____________________________________

October 14, Inter Press Service
New constitution - radical change or fig leaf? – John Feffer

After more than 15 years in the drafting, Burma unveiled its new
constitution in February. The 194-page document has generated a widely
disparate response.

In May, just days after Tropical Cyclone Nargis hit Burma and killed tens
of thousands Burmese, the military government reported that 92 percent of
the population supported the new constitution in a referendum vote.

The opposition National League for Democracy (NLD), however, has
categorically rejected the new document. And outside observers generally
treat the constitution -- as well as the referendum results -- with
scepticism.


>From the current Burmese government’s point of view, the constitution

provides for a stable transition to democratic rule. Elections are
scheduled for 2010, after which the new constitution would go into effect.
The military has reserved 25 percent of the seats in both houses of
parliament, but the remaining seats will be open to qualified candidates.

Some measure of autonomy is accorded to the states.

The third in Burma’s history -- after an initial 1947 post-colonial
document inspired by British common law and a socialist-era document
drafted by the military junta in 1974 -- the new constitution provides at
least the trappings of the rule of law. For instance, the constitution
mandates the creation of a constitutional court, which will administer and
interpret the law as well as preside over disputes between different
branches of government.

According to Dominic Nardi, a Georgetown University law student and
speaker at an Oct. 8 seminar in Washington, DC sponsored by the Sasakawa
Peace Foundation, the court has a third critical function as an "elite
insurance mechanism’’.

"If the political situation changes dramatically, if the opposition takes
over one or both houses of legislation, a constitutional court ensures
that minorities will have some protection under the law,’’ says Nardi.
‘’In transition from less liberal to more liberal forms of government, we
see authoritarian leaders establish courts so that they have protection
from prosecution after the transition."

The constitution also rules out demonetisation. In 1987, the government
introduced a new currency and wiped out the savings of millions of
Burmese. The constitutional prohibition against demonetisation is
therefore a positive lesson learned, says David Steinberg, professor of
Asian Studies at Georgetown University.

At the same time, Steinberg notes that the constitution contains a
get-out-of-jail-free card for the leadership: "No one can be tried for any
crimes committed by the government in the past."

The military has protected its position in other ways. In an emergency,
the president can hand power over to the military commander-in-chief for a
year. Moreover, changing the constitution requires the consent of
three-quarters of lawmakers. So it is quite difficult to change the army’s
leading role, the process of choosing the president or even the process of
amendment itself.

Nardi points out, however, that the U.S. constitution is also a
notoriously difficult document to amend, so that U.S. leaders have gotten
around the amendment process by focusing on judicial appointments and
constitutional interpretation.

"Many people think the amendment procedure is a horrible provision. I
don't think it will matter as much as many people in the opposition
believe," Nardi argues. Other provisions in the new constitution "allow
the speaker and the president to appoint judges to a constitutional
tribunal. If you can’t amend the constitution, you could appoint judges
more favorable to you and influence judicial interpretation."

Brian Joseph of the National Endowment for Democracy believes the
constitution does nothing to advance democratic rights.

"The constitution drafting effort and the draft constitution offer us
virtually nothing to hold on to," he says. "It may have some provisions
that allow for protections or legislative action.''

But the essential characteristic is that the military can dismiss the
government without cause,'' Joseph added. ''Whoever is governing, once
they overstep their bounds, will be dismissed. So the government will
constantly be looking over its shoulder."

Joseph does not believe that there will be any true power-sharing under
the new constitutional order or any creation of space for the opposition.
"They might hold elections in 2010," he observes. "The important thing is
not the technical details of the constitution but whether people can
organize, whether there’s freedom of speech and mobilisation. If parties
can’t organize, this is all just an empty exercise."

Joseph pointed out that opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi cannot run for
president because she was once married to a foreigner, which disqualifies
her according to a provision of the constitution.

Steinberg acknowledges that the military has no intention of undermining
its own power and that the constitution will be a continuation of military
rule by other means. At one time, in the 1950s and 1960s, social
scientists looked to the military in developing countries as
forward-looking and relatively immune from corruption. Today, however,
perceptions of the military junta have changed.

"Maybe there will be some people within the military trying to change the
operation of power under the constitution," he concludes. "But right now
it is an unlikely possibility."